Disinfectants are used in many fields where they serve to control micro-organisms. For example, they are used for hand disinfection, operative field or wound disinfection, instrument disinfection, disinfection of surfaces, linen etc. Of great interest is the effectiveness of disinfectants against mycobacteria, in particular against tuberculosis exciters which are relatively resistant, with the result that they are frequently not killed, but merely prevented from reproducing for a short period. Moreover, in addition to the bactericidal effectiveness, the fungicidal and virucidal effectiveness are also of interest. The shortest possible action times of the disinfectants are desirable, with no less thorough and sustained a disinfection effect.
Known thus far are, for example, disinfectants which contain one or more aldehydes or phenols as active ingredients. Furthermore, known from EP 0 333 143 A2 is a liquid cleaning agent which contains a tertiary alkyl amine, particularly N,N-bis-(3-aminopropyl) lauryl amine as biocidal active ingredient and also anionic surfactant as the necessary cleaning component. In addition, this cleaning agent can additionally contain water or alcohols having up to 4 carbon atoms such as methanol, ethanol, etc., as the solvent. It can be used as a disinfectant cleaner.
Also known, from EP 0 343 605 A1, is a tuberculocidal disinfectant which contains N,N-bis-(3-aminopropyl) lauryl amine as the disinfecting component. In addition to a solvent mixture of water and an alcohol having up to 4 carbon atoms such as methanol, ethanol, etc., it can also contain surfactants, quaternary ammonium compounds and complexing agents as cleaning agents.
Known from EP 0 385 369 A2 is a process for the antimicrobial preservation of liquid surfactants and surfactant-containing solutions, in which a preparation containing N,N-bis-(3-aminopropyl) lauryl amine is added to these liquids.
Also known, from DE 40 05 784 A1, is a disinfectant concentrate which contains a cation-active compound and non-ionic surfactant, in addition to a phenoxy alcohol. This concentrate can contain amines or aminopolyols such as tetrabis-(2-hydroxypropyl)N,N,N',N'-ethylene diamine as alkalizing agent.
It is a disadvantage with the aforementioned known disinfectants and disinfectant concentrates that a) disinfectants containing aldehyde and phenol have a relatively strong and unpleasant odor, b) disinfectants based on amine and cation-active compounds or on aromatic alcohols and cation-active compounds attach to surfaces precisely because of their content of cation-active compounds and are incompatible with anionic surfactants since these deactivate them. One disadvantage which all preparations known thus far show is that relatively high active ingredient concentrations are required for achieving an adequate disinfection action within a short period.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a disinfectant or a concentrate of the same, whereby the disinfectant has considerably reduced active ingredient concentrations for the same effectiveness, compared with the known disinfectants, or, when it is used, the action time can be substantially reduced to achieve the intended action. The disinfectant and the disinfectant concentrate should distinguish themselves by their lack of odor and be stable and therefore storable over an extended period of time.